As a funeral manager and embalmer, Claire Roberts plays a vital role in caring for our loved ones as we say goodbye.
Now, after spending more than a decade working in the funeral sector, Claire from Newcastle has opened up about what the job in an industry that is traditionally male-dominated is really like.
It comes as Claire, who works as a support service manager at W S Harrison & Son Funeral Directors in the city, is being celebrated for her work on International Women's Day (March 8), along with thousands of her female colleagues across the UK.
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"I had often seen positions in the funeral sector advertised and I always felt it was a career that I would find interesting and fulfilling," the 42-year-old said.
"I applied for a position as a funeral service arranger and I was successful in securing the role.
"Whilst working as a funeral service arranger I studied to become an embalmer and passed the British Institute of Embalmers qualification in 2014.
"I subsequently took up embalming roles in County Durham and Cleveland."
In 2016 Claire, from Whitley Bay, moved to her current role as a support service manager in Newcastle.
Opening up about what her role involves, Claire, said: "My normal day involves co-ordinating the booking of funerals and garage orders for our hearses and fleet of other vehicles and arranging the transfer of the deceased into care.
"It also involves overseeing the embalming preparation process and subsequently organising the transfer of the deceased to the appropriate Chapel of Rest.”
Claire, who previously worked for T-Mobile, joined company Dignity back in 2011 but faced some of the biggest challenges of her career during the pandemic.
“The height of the Covid-19 pandemic was an extremely challenging and exhausting time for everyone working in the end-of-life industry," she said.
"It was heartbreaking not being able to provide families with our usual standard of service.
"The lack of face-to-face interaction, the fact that many families could not see their loved ones in the Chapel of Rest or have the type of funeral on the day due to the closure of the churches and limited numbers able to attend was just so difficult.
"But the world hopefully seems to be getting back to normal.”
Now Claire, hopes her story will inspire other women to join the funeral profession this International Women's Day.
“It was once a very male-dominated environment but there are now a significant number of women in the profession performing every role," she said.
"I don’t believe there are any barriers to achieving your ambitions in the funeral sector if you are prepared to work hard and give total commitment."
